Home improvement

There are several reasons why someone would want to sound proof room. Often, it is to keep sound from coming in. It could be to cut off excess road noise at night. Alternatively, you might want to prevent sound from going out, like from a movie room. Either way, here is a simple four step guide to soundproofing a room:

Step one – You will need to add mass to prevent sound from coming through the walls unless they are concrete. The quickest way is to remove anything on the walls and add a layer of sound deadening foam. Cover the foam with wood or other panels. If the sound coming through is excessive, then use viscoelastic glue between the foam sheets and the wall.

Step two – Now we need to stop the sound coming through the door. Replace the door with a sound proof door and cover the gaps with foam gaskets and an automatic door seal at the bottom.

Step three – Repeat the same process as above, by placing foam Canada gaskets on the windows to cover any air gaps. You can test the different by applying to half the window. The difference is both immediate and striking.

Step Four – If the sound comes through the floor and ceiling, then you will need to add sound deadening foam on both surfaces. In most cases, this will involve removing your floor boards to insert the foam.

Foam mattress toppers are a layer of foam that can go above any mattress. This gives us the ability to choose the type and softness of the surface on our beds regardless of the mattress. Memory foam mattress toppers are basically the same except the memory foam is the primary material. Here are a few reasons to get one:

It can be used on any mattress. The many advantages of memory foam can be applied to any mattress. This could be for improved sleep, pain relief or simply to get a softer surface. It also saves the cost of getting a new mattress.

Cost. Not only do you save on the cost of getting a new mattress, you also save the additional cost that comes with a memory foam mattress. In addition, should memory foam not agree with you or fail to provide any improvement, the cost in both time and money will be less.

Control – Foam Canada mattress toppers come in a variety of thicknesses and density. You can get the exact level of softness of firmness that you require. In addition, installation is very easy and does not require expensive transportation. Also, it can be taken on most domestic travel for use at the destination.

When people have a noise problem in their apartments or homes, they tend to seek out acoustic foam panels because that’s what they’ve seen in recording studios and sound booths. It’s even advertised as wall treatments for homes. There are some important things you need to know before you buy a foam panel, such as which panel is right for absorption or blocking sound.

Two Types

There are two basic types of acoustic foam. The first absorbs any echo within the room, which is the type most commonly found in recording studios. The second blocks or stops sound entirely. Some panels can accomplish both of these tasks, but most do one or the other.

Absorption

When you’re looking to absorb sound from inside of a room, which is great for entertainment centers and home theaters as well as recording booths, you’ll want a softer kind of foam. The spongier kind of foam has almost no density, though, so it won’t block sounds. You can stand on the other side of the wall and very clearly hear voices coming through the sponge.

Blocking

Foam that blocks sound is usually found within the walls of the home itself. These sheets are usually very dense, which adds to the weight of the product, and their design makes it impossible for the walls to have any kind of physical connection with one another.

Final Thoughts

Now that you understand the difference between foam sheets used to block sound and sheets used for the purpose of absorbing sound, you should be able to make a more informed decision about refinishing your room.

Foam Factory, Inc., based in Southeast Michigan, sells sound proofing foam as well as a variety of polyurethane foam products. Order now for shipping across the United States and Canada.

The Internet has made it easier than ever before to record and post your own music, voice over work or spoken word poetry online. All you need is a halfway decent microphone, and a soundproofed room. Most streamers and amateur artists lack the cash to rent studio space every time they have a new project, but with acoustic foam panels, you can soundproof a room and use it to record as needed.

Say you have an indoor space that is frequently noisy—maybe you’re lucky enough to have an incredible media room that houses a full-screen projector and a sound system perfectly calibrated to the entertainment you love, like Quentin Tarantino movies or the adrenaline pumping sounds of a Call of Duty match. Using sound-deadening foam is not only easy, but it could save you money that you’d otherwise spend fighting public disturbance citations in court. Simply line your room with these custom-cut foam panels to immediately reduce nearly all sound travelling through the walls and floors. Avoid glue, which can cause damage to the walls of your space, and use double-sided sticky tape instead.

There’s another benefit to using foam for your sound-insulating needs beyond just decibel dampening. Foam is great for outdoor use because it withstands weather exposure, which has an added benefit in your own home. Not only are you simply less likely to have mold or mildew creep into your walls, but if it should happen, sound-proofing foam can be easily cleaned, making your renovation project that much faster and cheaper.

Bio:Foam Factory, Inc. manufactures and ships bedding, packaging, acoustic foam and more from their factory in Southeast Michigan.

Many musicians have roommates and neighbors and live in housing with limited space. These factors often hinder musicians’ abilities to practice their craft and hone their skills. Since consistent practice is critical for developing musical talents, it’s invaluable to have a readily available space in which to work. With a few additions and adjustments, it’s possible to turn a bedroom into a music studio that will keep a musician and those who live around him or her happy.

Hanging acoustic foam panels around the room is a great first step. There are quite a few options to consider. The budget and specific needs of the musician will dictate which kind of acoustic foam is the best choice. Eggcrate foam is available in two different sizes, and while both are inexpensive and effective, the larger size provides higher sound deadening quality. This foam can be optimized by covering it with acoustical cloth.

Wedge and pyramid foam are both economical options that come in different sizes to adjust to the level of sound proofing required. The smaller versions are most appropriate for mid to high frequency ranges, while the medium size is more effective against standing waves and flutter echoes. These foam sheets are great for small and medium-sized rooms. The larger versions of these sound proofing foam products provide maximum sound absorption and are appropriate for bigger spaces.

Acoustic spade, grid, and wave foam are more expensive, yet are also more visually appealing and higher quality. Spade foam has high echo-absorbing capabilities and clarifying qualities. Due to its appearance, this foam can be arranged to create two different patterns. Grid foam helps in the absorption of bouncing waves and creates better sound quality within the room. Its design showcases a tiled appearance. Wave foam provides echo-absorption and sound clarification while creating a flowing design inside the music studio.

While these various forms of sound deadening foam can raise the quality of sound within the studio as well as helping to absorb echoes and bouncing waves, they all will be most effective when combined with other products. The addition of drop ceiling tiles will enhance the room’s form and function and comes in either a smooth or textured pattern. Since low frequency waves can be difficult to stop, putting up bass absorbers in each corner of a room can significantly increase the quality of sound proofing in a studio. Broadband absorbers can also help deaden low frequencies.

Imagine the experience of a theater in your home. That’s the power of a comfortable couch, a good entertainment center and some powerful A/V equipment. Learn how to put your brand new HD TV to good use, or how to maximize the effectiveness of your sound with these important tips on home theater setup.

Optimal Viewing Distance

You might not realize this, but you can instantly improve the picture quality of your television by making sure that you are placing your couch at the proper distance away from the screen. There are all kinds of articles about this very topic, but you can use one simple formula to get the results you desire. Just take the diagonal screen measurement, then multiply that number by two. That will give you a rough estimate of the number of inches away from your television that you should be seated.

Speaker Placement

There are plenty of tools online to help you determine where would be best to place your speakers. Home entertainment systems that are hooked up to computers, for example, will usually have some interactive guide to follow. You should have a central speaker, which you may want to line with sound proofing foam to control noise levels, and speakers at the left and right sides. The side speakers should also be at the same height, which is usually just above where ear level would be.

Bass Management

Bass doesn’t travel in any one direction like sound does. It can seemingly come from all over. For a secluded area, this is fine. For those living in apartment or tract housing, this presents a problem for neighbors. The best solution is to use acoustic foam panels in your theater room to try and dampen some of that sound. The panels will absorb bass and leave less to reverberate through your home or your neighbor’s walls.

You can also adjust the cross over frequency to something lower like 80hz. This determines when sound will travel to speakers, and when it will go to the subwoofer, which drastically decreases unwanted bass. Just be careful when applying these settings to a surround sound system from the subwoofer. In these cases, turn the subwoofer crossover to “off” and adjust the sound through your receiver.

Final Thoughts

Home theater setups are undeniably cool, but they often need the right amount of tweaking to get the desired effect.
————————————————————————————————————–Carlo Badalamenti writes on behalf of Canada Foam by Mail. Find out how to sound proof a room with acoustic foam panels when you shop online with Canada Foam by Mail.

This is the age of the home recording studio. In fact, just using an old laptop should suffice in order to produce high fidelity recordings in comparison to those made in expensive recording studios.

That said, here are 4 way to better your home recordings almost immediately:

#1: Purchase one large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone

A good condenser microphone makes a big difference. In fact, this piece of equipment can make a big difference so it’s worth the purchase even if you are on a shoestring budget. Better still, you can not only record your voice but a host of other instruments as well. The Rode NT1A is probably your best bet but there are a number of options under $200.

#2: Get a Preamp

Instead of plugging your guitar into the recording interface, use a preamp to get a better source sound. You can get one for at least $50 and this will ensure that the sound you create has volume, warmth and everything else you’ve hoped for. Also, buy a balanced TSR or XLR cable for the output.

#3: Invest in Mastering Software

You don’t need to turn to professional engineers to give your new track that punch or loudness that gives one the impression of professionalism. All you need to do is invest in mastering software that is inexpensive, easy to use and very effective. It costs just under $200 and one such example used by a number of artists is Ozone produced by Izotope.

#4: Decent Monitors should suffice

A number of home recording artists make the mistake of purchasing expensive monitor for playback. You don’t need to spend so much money actually. For example, just a pair of M-Audio AV40 speakers should suffice. To be on the safe side, compare how the quality of sound play on your monitors as opposed to other speakers.